As part of Mexico’s new tourism strategy, its Tourism Board has begun promoting more than its beaches. “We are talking about our gastronomy, we’re talking about cultural tourism and adventure traveling.” It seems to be working; 2011 was a record-breaking year for tourism in Mexico and the Ministry of Tourism reported a 5 percent increase in the number of air arrivals to Mexico in the first five months of 2012.

But one key cog of the Mexican economy seems to be unfazed by the drug wars: Tourism.

The year 2011 was a record-breaking year for tourism in Mexico and the Ministry of Tourism reported a 5 percent increase in the number of air arrivals to Mexico in the first five months of 2012, according to Secretary of Tourism Gloria Guevara.

“Regardless of who the president is, tourism is a priority for Mexico,” said Guevara.

Although the Mexico Tourism Board works closely with the American government (and Guevara says its relationship with the U.S. is “better than ever”) Mexico’s tourist industry has shifted its sights away from the United States somewhat. Efforts to promote international travel to Mexico to widen its tourism base have successfully increased travel from 141 nations such as Canada, Brazil, and China.

“In 2009 we learned a lesson. Our dependency on only one country [the U.S.] made us go through some challenges,” Guevara said, referring to the financial crisis. “Since 2010, we have implemented a strategy to diversify both the audience and the product.”

The tourism industry accounts for 9 percent of the country’s GDP and employs 2.5 million Mexicans. In January of last year, President Felipe Calderón implemented a National Agreement on Tourism, declaring that 2011 would be the “year of tourism” for Mexico. The 100-point plan, signed by representatives from the private sector, elected officials, unions, universities, and the state and federal governments, aims to position Mexico within the top five tourist destinations by 2018.

As part of this strategy, Mexico’s Tourism Board has begun promoting more than its beaches. “We are talking about our gastronomy, we’re talking about cultural tourism and adventure traveling,” she said. Among Mexico’s top tourist destinations such as Riviera Maya, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, tourism continues to increase.

Guevara emphasized that Mexico remains the most popular tourist destination for the United States, explaining, “A few years ago, the U.S. counted for 70 percent of the travelers coming to Mexico. According to the last report, it counts for 56 percent right now. That doesn’t mean that U.S. travelers are not coming to Mexico. The number of travelers has been increasing, and we have gained some shares.”

According to data from the Department of Commerce, forty million Americans traveled abroad by plane in 2008. In 2011, only 36 million traveled, but Mexico’s share has increased from 16 million to 19 million.

Several high-profile international conferences have taken place this year including G-20, and Guevara hopes to attract more.

Guevara and other Mexico tourism officials dispute the media characterization of Mexico as a chaotic war zone. She pointed to the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for Mexico as an example of providing specific, accurate information about the violence, while the warning given by Rick Perry’s administration to Texans was unfairly broad.

She said the Texas warning was “painting the entire country with the same brush, which we believe is totally incorrect. It’s like saying the U.S. is exactly the same throughout the entire country.”

Unlike Perry’s administration, the State Department advisory “goes state by state,” Guevara said.

“The vast majority of the states have no travel advisory,” she explained. “Mexico has 2,500 municipalities. Of those 2,500, 80 of them have the issues and the challenges, or what we call the ‘hotspots.’ Eighty out of 2,500. Does that mean that the entire country is on fire? Of course not.”